There are so many “should” things we want to do, but there are so few of them that we actually end up doing.

We often trade long-term satisfaction for short-term fun, lasting fulfillment for fleeting happiness. I don’t know about you, but whenever I do this, a part of me feels annoyed and frustrated with myself.

Why don’t I have more willpower and motivation to make the right choice when I’m faced with temptation?

If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, this article is for you. I’ve come up with a list of eleven things you can do to develop a lifestyle of motivation. These tips will help you get motivated so that you’ll take the actions you know you ought to””even when you don’t feel like it.

1. Put up some motivational quotes on your wall

Put these quotes up where you usually do your work. Here are a few of my favorites:

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.Phillips Brooks, clergyman and author

Take the first step. You don’t have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step.Martin Luther King, Jr., civil rights activist

Give 100 percent in everything every day, because it’s not like if you give 80 percent today you can make up for it by giving 120 percent tomorrow.Unknown

2. Change the quotes every month

We get used to things very quickly, and after a while the motivational quotes on your wall will become just another part of the background that you don’t notice. To prevent this from happening, change the quotes every month or so.

3. Find out when you work best

You probably work better during a specific time of day. Figure out when that time is for you, and try to schedule your creative work for then. This strategy will improve the quality of your work and the efficiency with which you produce that work.

4. Do the hardest task first

We all like to check things off lists, and we usually start with the easiest things first. This approach doesn’t maximize your effectiveness, so instead you need to do the hardest task first. Whatever your most challenging task is, complete it first. Once you knock that task out, you’ll feel a surge in motivation.

5. Smile when you wake up

This might sound a little crazy, but this technique alone has vastly enhanced the quality of my life. Zig Ziglar calls your alarm clock your “opportunity clock,” because every day you awaken to many fantastic opportunities to learn, build relationships, appreciate beauty, and touch lives. If we force ourselves to think about all the amazing things life has to offer, we’ll have no choice but to smile””a smile that will defeat even excessive levels of grogginess.

6. Review your to-do list at the end of each day

Even if you don’t manage to accomplish everything on your to-do list, it’s encouraging to review the list at the end of the day. In this way, you remind yourself of the progress you’ve made, despite the fact that you didn’t complete all the tasks you had hoped to. If you do, in fact, complete everything on your list, you should be proud. This will remind you that it’s time to celebrate, which leads us to the next technique.

7. Celebrate EVERYTHING

If you’re constantly on the lookout for occasions to celebrate, you’ll realize that there are plenty of them. Learn to celebrate the small things: completing a report, finishing an assignment, writing a blog post. To celebrate, you can go to the beach, read a book, or have a good meal. When you’re always ready to celebrate, it’s much easier to be upbeat because you’re aware of even the seemingly insignificant, but deeply beautiful, occurrences of life.

8. Read uplifting books

A few years ago, I realized I could spend at least ten minutes a day reading in the bathroom while sitting on the throne. I’m not kidding! Especially if you’re trained in speed-reading, you can get through a good amount of reading in ten minutes.

Filling our minds with uplifting messages is more important than we realize, because most of the messages we’re bombarded with on TV and on the radio are negative. “The economy continues to tank,” “Global warming threatens our food supply,” … the list goes on. Spending at least ten minutes a day reading an encouraging book is the least you can do to combat all of this pessimism. It could be an autobiography, novel, or history book. Just make sure that it’s a book with a positive message.

9. Do something social every day

Even the most introverted people need regular social interactions to energize them. After all, if we ask ourselves what’s most important to us, relationships with friends and family will appear high on most of our lists. If these relationships really mean that much to us, doesn’t it make sense that we intentionally make time for them?

Having dinner with your family and talking to a close friend are sure ways to lift your spirits and reinvigorate you in the other areas of your life.

10. Surround yourself with positive people

As a follow-up to tip #9, you need to select your friends carefully. You can’t choose your family, but you can definitely choose your friends. I’ve heard it said that you’re the average of the five people you spend most of your time with. This means that if the five people you hang out with most are encouraging, cheerful, motivated, and hardworking, it’s unavoidable that you’ll become like them. On the contrary, if the people you surround yourself with are pessimistic, moody, dishonest, and lazy, you’ll become like them in no time, too.

11. Have at least fifteen minutes of alone time every day

This might seem to be in conflict with tip #9, but these two tips actually complement each other. By “alone time,” I’m not simply referring to time that you spend alone. Alone time is when you think, reflect, and dream. It’s an opportunity to separate yourself from all of your busyness to ask yourself what’s truly important, and whether your actions reflect that.

Alone time is never a waste of time. It’s an investment that pays off in the long run, not necessarily in terms of achievements and accolades, but definitely in terms of wisdom, peace of mind, and fulfillment.

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If you want to build a better family, a better career, a better business, a better healthcare system, a better economy, and a better world, the all-important first step is to build a better you.

Building a better you will require you to become a person of greater commitment and character. It will require you to do the right thing even when you don’t feel like it. It will require you to develop a lifestyle of motivation.

So try out these eleven tips for yourself today. The world is counting on you.

Daniel Wong is passionate about helping young adults to maximize their education, career and life at Living Large. He is the author of “The Happy Student: 5 Steps to Academic Fulfillment and Success,” which will be published by Morgan James Publishing by early 2012. You can find him on Twitter.

Please use your real name and note that I reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments.

prasad

After reading these articles, I feel no need to refer any author books for related topic…Its realy simple and superb

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

Wow, what an encouraging comment, Prasad! Thank you– I’m glad that you found the article useful.

johnson

i like ” dont pray for easy lives. pray to be stronger men.

http://www.publicationcoach.com Daphne Gray-Grant

I really like your idea of doing the hardest task first. This is SUCH an important habit to get into, especially for writers. If you do it first not only will it get done but then you’ll feel GREAT all day long! It’s invigorating!!

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

Thanks, Daphne! It definitely takes determination to do the hardest task first, but it really is worth it. I’m glad that you’ve experienced such good results using this technique!

http://theway2fullconsciousness.com/ VeehCirra

Hi Daniel,

“Smile when I wake up”,I never heard about that before, very interesting, will definitely try it and report back. ;)

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

Thanks, VeehCirra! Please do let me know if it works for you. :)

http://theway2fullconsciousness.com/ VeehCirra

Ha-ha it works Daniel,thanks for making my mornings brighter!;)

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

You’re more than welcome. Please share some great tips that you have too!

Flordeliza Reyes

Thank you so much for all the inpiring article.
Happy New Daniel!

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

I appreciate your kind words, Flordeliza!

david tsanava

this is a very powerful message and the reminder to each and everyone of us who has struggled with symptoms of what this article serves to combat that we have to awaken others who are suffering from not knowing the above and who may not be aware of the cure available to them. so it is up to us the awakended to help others by giving them this information so they too can live a more productive and fulfilling lives.

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

Thanks for the comment, David. That’s some very deep stuff!

mypaisa

would love to see more quotes from the author or commenters that will help inspire to get stuff done

Jazz

Love this article. If someone was taking notes on the conversation me and a mate had last night, this would be the notes.. Amazing!

It is not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog, that truly counts.

What is now proved was once only imagined.

They say “Evil prevails when a good man fails to act.” What they should say is “Evil prevails.”

The opposite of love is not hate. It is indifference.

It does not have to be real.

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.
If you aim for the stars, you wont come up with mud on your face.

Ignorance may be bliss, but knowledge is certainly power.

It is better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all.

In the space between yes and no, there is a life time. It is the difference between the path you walk and the one you leave behind; it is the gap between who you thought you could be and who you really are.

Have you not done tormenting me with your accursed time? It is abominable. When! When! One day. Is that not enough for you? One day he went dumb, one day I went blind, one day we’ll go deaf, one day we were born, one day we shall die. The same day. The same second. They give birth astride of a grave. The light gleams an instant, then it is night once more.

Hate is baggage. Life is too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it. It is always good to end a paper with a quote. Someone else has already said it best, so if you can’t top it – steal from them, and go out strong:
We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell again when touched, as they surely will be, by the better angels of our nature.

http://www.daniel-wong.com Daniel Wong

Wow, Jazz– that is a very awesome list of quotes! I really like the one “Don’t let your victories go to your head – or your failures go to your heart.”